There is an increasing demand for tunable lasers for test and measurement uses, wavelength characterization of optical components, fiberoptic networks and other applications. In dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) fiberoptic systems, multiple separate data streams propagate concurrently in a single optical fiber, with each data stream created by the modulated output of a laser at a specific channel frequency or wavelength. Presently, channel separations of approximately 0.4 nanometers in wavelength, or about 50 GHz are achievable, which allows up to 128 channels to be carried by a single fiber within the bandwidth range of currently available fibers and fiber amplifiers. Greater bandwidth requirements will likely result in smaller channel separation in the future.
DWDM systems have largely been based on distributed feedback (DFB) lasers operating with a reference etalon associated in a feedback control loop, with the reference etalon defining the ITU wavelength grid. Statistical variation associated with the manufacture of individual DFB lasers results in a distribution of channel center wavelengths across the wavelength grid, and thus individual DFB transmitters are usable only for a single channel or a small number of adjacent channels.
Continuously tunable external cavity lasers have been developed to overrcome the limitations of individual DFB devices. Various laser-tuning mechanisms have been developed to provide external cavity wavelength selection, such as mechanically tuned gratings used in transmission and reflection. External cavity lasers must be able to provide a stable, single mode output at selectable wavelengths while effectively suppress lasing associated with all other external cavity modes that are within the gain bandwidth of the cavity. These goals have been difficult to achieve, and there is accordingly a need for an external cavity laser that provides stable, single mode operation at selectable wavelengths.